Never Over
by Wiki Wiki
Summary: There's actually someone out there who can put up with Zuko's constant angst? Has Azula really changed her ways, or is it just an act? Is the world at peace now or is someone still plotting against the new Firelord? Read and find out! *A work in progress*
1. Chapter 1: A New Friend

_AN: This is the revised version of my old story, titled the same. I'm trying to make some serious improvements. There are going to be a lot of changes, so it won't be like rereading my old story with a few spelling corrections, I'm actually changing it a lot. So I hope you enjoy this new version better. It's a work in progress so check back often. Thanks!_

* * *

Zuko stood at the edge of a cliff at the Western Air Temple. He looked out at the mist that blocked his view of the ground below. He imagined it was a long ways down. He inhaled deeply and took a seat on the edge, letting his feet dangle over the side of the cliff. His thoughts were bouncing around his head in an uncontrollable jumble. Everything had changed so fast that it didn't feel real. He had spent years of his life searching for the Avatar, and he finally found him. But he didn't try to capture him, he tried to befriend him.

The keyword there was tried. It didn't exactly work, not that he fully expected it to, but he still hoped. He tried to offer himself as a fire bending teacher, but his offer was immediately declined. Aang had said once that they could be friends, but when it came down to it, they both knew they couldn't. He ruined any chances he had of being trusted.

It was darkening and the mountainous air was starting to get chilly. He decided to set up camp and start a fire. The ground was uncomfortable, but he had slept on worse. He closed his eyes and tried hard to close his mind, but his attempt was unsuccessful. He heard a rustling sound coming from outside the small shelter he had set up.

"Who's there?" He halfway sat up. "Show yourself!" He involuntarily shot a flame forward. He saw a barricade of rock fly up from the ground, blocking the fire.

"Whoa! Easy! It's me, Toph. You almost burnt me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he said sincerely. "You shouldn't sneak up like that."

"I wasn't sneaking, I was walking." She crossed her arms.

"Sorry. What did you want?" he asked.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't going to leave."

"Why?"

"Because, Aang needs you." Zuko started to wonder what was going on. Just hours ago, he was clearly not welcome. "The others are just too blind to see that we aren't going to find a more perfect person for the job than you." He laughed a little at the irony of her words.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me leaving, because I have nowhere to go."

"Can't you just go back home?"

"Are you kidding me? Not after what I just told my father." He felt a tiny rush of adrenaline from the memory of the day he confronted his father. It had been during the eclipse, when they were both unable to fire bend.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I was going to join the Avatar and help defeat him. I was kind of counting on being accepted into the group at the time."

"Well I guess that didn't work." Toph chuckled at his bad luck. "They'll have to let you join sooner or later."

"I doubt that."

"What about your uncle? I met him once before. Wasn't he traveling with you?"

"Yeah…," Zuko looked down at the fire, "…before I messed everything up. I had a choice of which path I wanted to take, and I chose the wrong one. I went back home to my father."

"Oh," Toph said quietly. She wrapped her arms around her folded knees. The firelight reflected off her glazed eyes. "What made you choose the right path?"

Zuko thought for a moment. He thought back to a conversation he had with a girl in Ba Sing Se.

_"So how do you like the city so far?" Jin smiled softly._

_"It's ok," he replied._

_"I like it a lot. Well, of course I do, I grew up here. It's grown so much since then." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's always been such a peaceful town. I've never been outside the city walls, but from what I hear, it's not good out there. You've been outside of here before! Is it really as bad as people say?" Ba Sing Se had kept the war a secret from the city until just recently. Zuko felt a rush of guilt. Although the war had started long before he was born, he couldn't help but feel responsible for all the horrible events going on outside the city wall. A girl like Jin, so gentle and harmless, didn't deserve to live in a world of treachery._

_He struggled for the right words. He didn't want to scare her, but he didn't want to downplay the condition of the world. Jin started to frown when she noticed Zuko's gloomy expression._

_"It's no place for a girl like you out there."_

_"So it is that bad?" Zuko nodded._

_"There still has to be good things, right? How much of the world have you seen?"_

_"A lot of it. I've been to the South Pole, the North Pole, the Fire Nation and all over the Earth Kingdom." He was glad he didn't have to explain the reason for his visits._

_"Why were you traveling so much?" He quickly tried to think of a false reason. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind._

_"We were, uh… a part of this traveling circus."_

The memory continued on to Zuko humiliating himself by attempting to juggle. He flinched.

"For the longest time, I only thought about myself. I thought about my future, my destiny, and my honor. All of my actions were driven by what I wanted and I was willing to do whatever it took, even if that meant hurting people. I let my anger and regrets guide me, and they took me down the wrong path. I tried once to just hide from the war and thought I was doing the right thing, but I realize now that the right thing to do is to do everything I can to end this war." Neither of them spoke for a moment. The only sound they heard was the quiet crackle of the fire. Toph finally broke the silence.

"I can tell you're being honest. I wish the others could feel what I do." She wiggled her toes into the ground. "I can feel your heart beating right now. You're calm. When people lie, their heartbeat goes crazy."

"I wouldn't lie. Not anymore."

"You're our only hope, whether they realize it or not," Toph said glumly. She found herself feeling almost sorry for him. She could almost feel the anguish running through his body. "I should probably get back before someone notices I'm gone. I'll talk to them tomorrow." She got to her feet and walked back to where the others were sleeping.

"Don't waste your time," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Jin was seated in the corner table of Pao's Tea House, where she sat every day after her classes. After tasting Mushi's tea, the normal tea that the shop served didn't seem quite as fulfilling. Mushi and his nephew, Li, who had one worked for Pao, had just opened their own tea shop in the Upper Ring. As much as she wanted to visit it, she didn't have the time or money to travel to the Upper Ring every day. She figured it was for the best. She obviously got the hint that Li didn't ever want to see her again after their slightly uncomfortable date.

"It's complicated. I have to go," he said before he turned around and ran off in the opposite direction.

Her memories of that night were still fresh and vivid in her head. It wasn't a perfect night, but she still enjoyed it. The way he had abruptly left her standing at the Firelight Fountains only intrigued her more. Her feelings were still hurt, but she found herself longing to visit him again. She sat down her cup of tea a little too hard on the table, causing it to splash out. She threw down a few copper pieces on the table and headed out. She didn't care if he wanted to see her or not, she was going to the Upper Ring to find Li.

The quickest way to get to the Upper Ring was the railway system. It was the only official connection to the center of the city, and it was seldom used. Nobody from the Upper Ring ever had a reason to visit the Lower Ring. In fact, the last upper class resident to visit the outer wall was the Earth King himself. She boarded the near empty train and sat in a seat by the window. The city looked much larger from above than she could have ever imagined. Her hands and nose were pinned to the window the whole ride there, admiring the view. The train finally came to a stop at the Grand Station. She and the few others aboard the train stepped off onto the marble platform. The station was much more up kept than the one at the Lower Ring. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something strange. In front of the station entrance were two guards, suited in red. They were armed with spears. In fact, when she studied her surroundings closer, she noticed that many people around the pavilion were clothed in red.

"Fire Nation," She thought. "Nobody else around here wears red. But why are they here?" She knew that something was going on. She turned to get back on the train, but a guard was already blocking the door.

"Where do you think you're going, little lady?" He spoke through his mask. She gasped.

"I was just…"

"This part of the city was seized by the Fire Nation as ordered by the Prince and Princess,"

_What about Li?_ She thought. _He could be in trouble!_ The soldier attempted to twist her arms behind her back, but she slipped from his grasp and darted away.

"Hey! Follow her!" he ordered. She took off sprinting as fast as she could, huffing for air. It had been a while since she had ran this fast. She had to find Mushi's tea shop. She came across the business district, where most of the stores were located. The streets were flooded with red-clad citizens. Everyone stared as she ran by, but she didn't care at this point. She knew she was being followed. She saw a sign for a tea shop called The Jasmine Dragon. She knew that had to be Mushi's. When she arrived at the door, there was a for sale sign in the door and the windows were boarded up.

"No," she said out loud. "How could they be closed down already? They just opened. Something must have happened to them," she thought. She walked around the back of the building and found a broken window that hadn't been boarded. She carefully climbed through, slipping inside the abandoned tea shop. She climbed up the stairs to the apartment above. It was as abandoned as the tea shop.

She heard a slam from below. They had found her. She heard footsteps stomping on the wooden floor. It was only a matter of time before they made it up the stairs. She ran into the nearest room and hid herself inside the small closet. It was full of dusty clothing falling off the hangers. She curled her face into her knees and waited for the sound of silence, but instead, the footsteps grew louder.

"You, check in there," said one soldier to the other. "We have to make sure we clear this whole ring of Earth Nation citizens. We can't afford to let one loose. She might tell the others." The door creaked and the sound of boots shook the floor. The door to the closet swung open in one fast movement.

"Gotcha."

Hiding in the closet probably wasn't the best idea, since there was only one way in and out. She knew at this point there was nothing she could do. The soldier grabbed on to her arm and yanked her up, almost dislocating it. He forced her arms behind her back and chained them up. The other soldiers met up with him in the room and they carried her out of the empty apartment.

_Wherever you are, Li, I hope you're safe, s_he thought as they pushed her out the door.

* * *

Zuko could see the morning light glowing red through his eyelids. He yawned and sat upright, studying his surroundings. The fire from last night had died down to just a pile of blackened logs with a few orange embers still burning. Next to that, he saw a small bowl of rice, still steaming. He assumed Toph left it. The smell finally reached his nose and his stomach grumbled.

After finished the food left for him, he pondered on what to do next. He wasn't lying when he told Toph he had nowhere to go.

_So the Fire Nation is out. I'm probably the most wanted person there right now. I can't stick around with these guys, so that's out too. With the Fire Nation in control of most of the world now, there's not a safe place to live, not even Ba Sing Se, _he thought to himself. Before he left Ba sing Se, they had the whole Upper Ring of the city under control, including the Earth King. It was the smallest ring of the city, therefore the easiest to overtake. He figured by now, the control had spread all the way down to the Lower Ring.

_Jin lives in the Lower Ring. _He knew what the Fire Nation did to prisoners, and it wasn't pretty. He didn't want to think about that anymore. He thought back to their date. She brought him to the Firelight Fountains, where they shared a kiss, only before he fled with no explanation. He never saw her again after that night.

He knew what he needed to do.

_I led her on and then ran away. I've done enough damage. I'm not going to just sit here hoping she's safe. I can't exactly give her the explanation I owe, but I can at least make sure she's alright. _His mind was made up. He tore down the shelter he had set up and gathered his things together. His packing was interrupted by the sound of someone approaching.

"Where are you going? You aren't leaving, are you?" Toph walked towards him.

"Yes, I am."

"You have to stick around and help Aang." She argued.

"I have something I need to do."

"What?"

"I'm going to find someone,"

"Who? Your uncle?" He really didn't want to go into details about his plan. He just wanted to get on the road. It was a long way from the Western Air Temple to Ba Sing Se.

"Yes," he continued packing his things.

"You're lying." She accused. He forgot all about her ability to detect lies.

"Look, I need to find a friend of mine. She's in Ba Sing Se and I'm going to go get her," He groaned. "And I need to leave now."

"You're going to travel to the Earth Kingdom on foot?" she raised one eyebrow. "That's going to take weeks."

"No, I have a war balloon I used to get here. It'll still take a long time, but it'll take longer if you don't let me leave."

"I can help you cut your travel time in half." She proposed.

"How?"

"Aang has a flying bison."

"He'd let me use it?" He knew there was no way Aang would let Zuko take his beloved animal anywhere, not even to the other side of the temple.

"We can just borrow it for a little while." She smiled boldly. He considered the option for a brief moment. He didn't want to get on the Avatar's bad side more than he already was. "I'll take the heat for it." He knew it was probably a bad idea, but the more he thought about it, the further Ba Sing Se seemed.

"Alright, let's do it,"

"We'll leave tonight after everyone is asleep,"

When the night finally rolled around, Zuko and Toph quietly gathered supplies for their trip to the Earth Kingdom. They loaded them up on Appa, who was a little unhappy about being woken up so late at night. When Zuko stepped in front of him, he greeted him with a wet, sloppy lick.

"Aw, gross!" He yelled in a whisper.

"He likes you," Toph laughed at him as he wiped off the saliva from his arm.

"Yeah, I guess. Let's get going,"

"You're going to have to fly him. I can't see anything unless I'm touching the ground,"

"How do I do that?"

"Just say 'Yip, yip' and grab the reins."

Zuko figured flying on a bison wouldn't be much different than flying a war balloon. The ride wasn't as smooth as the balloon, but it was almost twice as fast. He didn't have to direct Appa much because he remembered the way to Ba Sing Se. Zuko was able to sit back and relax a bit before they arrived in the Fire Nation-ruled city.

"So who exactly are we going to go get? Is this your girlfriend?" Toph taunted him.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Zuko yelled.

"Whoa, take it easy there. I was joking,"

"She's just a friend, and I need to rescue her." Toph looked puzzled.

"Rescue her from what?" she asked. Zuko breathed deeply before explaining.

"The Fire Nation has taken over all of Ba Sing Se and it's partly my fault. The Earth King has been taken down, and the Fire Nation has moved in. Everyone who is part of the Earth Kingdom has most likely been taken prisoner…if they're lucky." He tilted his head down in shame.

"It's the largest city in the world, and it's now under control of the Fire Nation?" Ba Sing Se was considered to be the last safe place, but not anymore. Neither of them spoke for a moment. They just sat there and tried to fully grasp the state of the world. Toph broke the silence when she finally thought of something to say. "So do you have a plan?"

"Not…exactly." Zuko was embarrassed to admit. He originally planned on traveling to Ba Sing Se by balloon, which would have given him plenty of time to think of a plan.

"You don't have a plan? We came all this way and you don't even have a clue what we're going to do?" Toph scowled at him.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to come with me. I didn't invite you." He snarled.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to help!" She crossed her arms.

"No, no! I didn't mean that. Sometimes I can't control my anger and I say things I don't mean." He admitted shamefully. "I've been trying to think of a plan, but I'm not exactly sure of the city's conditions. I don't know what we're getting into."

"Well, with a great Earth bender like me, and I'm sure you're pretty good at fire bending, we can take on anything that comes our way!" Toph said enthusiastically. She was always up for a good fight.

"I sure hope so,"

"How far away do you think we are?" She asked.

"A little over halfway I think. We're definitely in the Earth Kingdom though. Maybe we should set up camp for the rest of the night so we're fully rested." He suggested.

"And we can think of a plan. And maybe a few backup ones."

They waited until they found a spot away from civilization. Appa landed in a small clearing in the center of a vast forest.

"Ahh, nice, soft dirt." Toph sighed as she stepped on the ground. "I absolutely hate flying."

"It is quicker though." Zuko reached in one of the bags and pulled out a cloth that he used for a tent back at the Western Air Temple.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Setting up a shelter."

"I have a better idea." She stomped one foot into the ground and raised her arm upwards in one stiff motion. A large, square shelter made of rock lifted up from the ground.

"Well…I'll just make a fire." He said. "I think I can handle that one." After the fire got going, they sat around it to warm themselves from the cool Earth Kingdom climate.

"So where do you think she is? The girl we're rescuing." Toph asked.

"I don't know. She lives somewhere in the Lower Ring, but I don't think we'll find her at her house."

"Then where would she be?" Zuko didn't want to explain, but he knew she would witness it eventually, so it was best to just forewarn her.

"Normally, when the Fire Nation takes over a city, the first thing they do is capture all the important figures and lock them away. In this case, that would be the Earth King and all the nobles. The next thing they would do is gather all the benders and imprison them in a cell designed to prevent them from bending. Once the benders are gone, that leaves the normal citizens, like Jin. Although they're the last to be captured, they're the easiest and least threatening. They would be taken from their homes and usually end up in camps."

"What kind of camps?"

"A Fire Nation camp is the same as a prison, just not as secure. It's still heavily guarded, but there are no cells. The people are treated like dirt there. They are nearly starved to death, forced to sleep on the hard ground, and the guards usually get enjoyment out of mercilessly beating whoever they want."

"That's horrible." Toph gasped.

"The Fire Nation try to make it seem like they are keeping people alive in the camps, but it doesn't take long before most of the camp is gone. They become sick, malnourished, and they lose all morale."

"How long has it been since Ba Sing Se was taken over?"

"I'd say about a month."

"You don't think we'd be too late, do you?" Zuko didn't answer, so Toph asked another question. "How are we supposed to get into these camps and find the one where Jin is at? It's an enormous city."

"If we could disguise ourselves as guards, we could patrol all the camps and search for her."

"And then what do we do when we find her?"

"Let me sleep on that one," he yawned. He didn't realize how tired he actually was. His yawn spread to Toph and she reached out her arms to stretch.

"Rest is probably a good idea. We'll continue tomorrow." Toph agreed.


	2. Chapter 2: The Rescue Mission

Jin struggled and struggled in a hopeless attempt to break free from the soldiers' tight grip. Her feet dragged across the ground as she used all of her strength to make herself dense, but it just wasn't enough. She didn't have the slightest clue where they were taking her. She continued elbowing them every chance she got.

"Alright, I'll handle this." One soldier told the other. His hand flashed towards her and before she knew what was happening, everything went black.

She woke up on the ground, her head throbbing with red hot pain. She reached up and felt a large bump swelling over her temple. It was so dark, she couldn't tell if her eyes were opened or closed. She crawled forward, only to be stopped by a wall of rock. She reached out her hands on either side of her and felt the cold stones. She was completely encased by a rock wall. Her heart started racing as reality sank in. She was trapped. She frantically starting beating on the walls around her, but they didn't budge. It was no use. She slowly gave up and curled up in the corner of the tiny cell and pressed her face into her knees.

It felt like she had been sitting there for hours. There was not enough room to completely stretch out her legs, and they were beginning to feel numb. Her throat ached from the dusty, dry air inside the rock cell. Suddenly, she was blinded by a white wall of light. The northern wall of the tiny cell had disappeared into the ground. When her eyes finally came into focus, she saw two armed Fire Nation soldiers towering above her, joined by a member of the Dai Li.

"Dinner." One of them said tonelessly. He slapped down a bowl in front of her, slightly spilling the contents on the ground. The rock wall slid back up and left her in the dark again. Her stomach growled. She wasn't aware how hungry she actually was. She grabbed the bowl and brought it up to her mouth. It was soup, cabbage soup to be exact. It was bland and cold, but she drank it down quickly.

After she was done eating, there was nothing for her to do. She curled back up in the corner, trying to stretch out her legs as much as should could. She stroked her hand up and down the rock wall she was leaning against and felt the formations. After a while, she almost had the locations of each bump and groove memorized. When she could no longer find anything to keep her mind distracted, the swirling fears hidden in the back of her mind began popping up.

_Where have they taken me? How am I supposed to escape? I'm just going to be left here to rot, I know it. How could the takeover of the Upper Ring go completely unnoticed to the rest of the city? Where is Li? _Her last thought caused her to shiver. She knew he had to be close. If he was captured, they had to have taken her to the same place. Frustration filled up inside her, knowing they were so close, but there was no way she could escape. She was trapped and there was no way out. She began to sob, but no tears fell. The sob came out like more of a choke that caused an aching pain in her chest. Eventually, she drifted off in to an uncomfortable sleep.

She was abruptly awoken by the sound of the wall slamming back into the ground. There was no blinding outside light, so she assumed it was night. There was a shady looking soldier accompanied by a Dai Li soldier, who she assumed was there to open the rock cell.

"You look lonely in that cell, little girl." The Fire Nation soldier smirked at her. Jin backed as far into the corner as she could. "Aw, don't try to hide." He stepped in the cell. He grabbed on to her wrist and tried pulling her up. She squirmed free from his grip and spat towards him. He immediately filled with rage, striking her in the face with his fist. She yelped. He grabbed her by her hair and made sure she could see his face. "Nobody spits on me, especially peasant scum like you!" He dropped her to the ground, causing her to smack her head against the rock wall. Before he left the cell, he aimed a kick towards her stomach, but her arm blocked it, taking most of the force. She bit her tongue holding in the scream. "Next time, it'll be fire." The rock wall slid back up from the ground, but this time, it was closer than before, making the cell tinier than it already was.

Jin couldn't bring herself to move. Her head was spinning and her arm throbbed. She tried to move it, but the pain was too much. The shock caused her to become even dizzier, and she felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness.

_I didn't believe Li when he told me how bad the world outside of the city was. And now that treacherous world is inside the city walls. The Fire Nation has turned this world into a horrendous world of sorrow. They…can't…win. _Her thoughts started to drift into darkness. _There's…still…hope._

_

* * *

_

Zuko and Toph packed up their campsite and prepared to continue their journey to Ba Sing Se. They weren't far, only a few hours away. Zuko had changed out of his normal Fire Nation clothes in exchange for a pair of common Earth Kingdom clothes. Even wearing the green clothing, he wasn't safe. The Fire Nation would attempt to capture him if they thought he was a commoner, but if they saw who he really was, he knew the punishment would be twice as worse. He would be sent back to the Fire Nation to be punished personally by his father.

"I'm not sure how we're going to get into the city." Zuko admitted. "I haven't come up with an idea yet." The enormous city walls were visible in the distance.

"Don't worry, I figured you wouldn't be able to come up with an idea, so I did." Toph grinned in self-satisfaction. They landed a ways away from the wall to avoid being seen.

"What is Appa going to do?" Zuko asked.

"I took this whistle from Aang that will call for him when we need him." She held up the small, bison-shaped whistle. "Go find some apples or something, buddy." She patted him on his nose.

"So what's your genius idea of getting past the walls?" Zuko said in a doubting voice. Without saying a word, she stomped her foot to the ground, revealing a small opening she had just created.

"It'll lead us right under the wall and into the city." Toph stepped into the hole first. Zuko was a little hesitant, but he followed right behind her.

"It's so dark in here. I can't see anything."

"Gee, you poor thing." Toph said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, sorry." Zuko almost forgot. He had no idea how far they were along they were in the tunnel. He finally saw a circle of light approaching them. As he stepped out of the tunnel, which Toph quickly sealed up, he couldn't believe what he saw. The tunnel had exited to an alley next to a small market in the Lower Ring. The small plaza was completely filled with bustling Earth Kingdom citizens, shopping as normal. There was no sign of suspicious Fire Nation activity, no soldiers, and no guards. Everything was surprisingly normal. There were a few children squatting at the end of the alley, playing a game of some sort.

"Ha! Earth beats fire!" Yelled the small kid. He was holding his hand out in a clench fist, while the other kid wiggled his fingers, making the motion of flames.

"Aw, man!" cried the other, while the rest of the children gathered around them giggled.

"This is not what I expected to see." Zuko said with a hint of confusion in his tone.

"I didn't expect to see anything, but this is definitely not what I expected to feel."

"There's no sign of the Fire Nation anywhere. That means they haven't reached the Lower Ring yet. Jin is safe!"

"That makes his whole mission a lot easier. Where does she live?"

"She lives a few houses down from my uncle's old tea shop."

"You're uncle had a tea shop?" She asked.

"Oh. Uh…yeah for a while when we were in hiding."

"Your uncle makes great tea."

"How do you know my uncle?"

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice."

"That's definitely my uncle."

"All he talked about was you."

"Really?" He wondered where his uncle was now. The last he knew, he had busted himself out of Fire Nation jail and disappeared. He knew he would be safe, but he still worried about him.

"Yeah. It was kind of annoying." She giggled.

"Oh, sorry."

"But it was also very sweet. All he wanted was for you to find your own path and see the light. I know the others don't see it, but I can tell you've changed. If you didn't, I don't think we would have come all this way to rescue an Earth Kingdom girl." She punched him a little too hard on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That's how I show affection." She smiled big.

"Well, okay then." He rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder. "We should go find her now." They walked down the dirt roads of the Lower Ring. Most of the houses they walked past look the same. None of them were particularly big, and most were in less than preferable conditions. As they continued walking, there was still no sign of any Fire Nation soldiers. It was almost too good to be true that they hadn't taken over the Lower Ring yet.

"Are we getting close yet?" Toph asked anxiously.

"I think so. This city is huge."

"Well, they don't call it the largest city in the world for no reason." she pointed out.

"I can see why they haven't taken over the Lower Ring yet. There are so many people that live here, it would be nearly impossible to run this whole ring."

"You said nearly impossible. Does that mean it's still possible that they will?"

"Yes. The Fire Nation is more tactical than you think."

"So all these people will be captured?"

"More than likely. It'll be a longer process than the Upper Ring, but with time and determination, this whole city will belong to the Fire Nation."

"Wow." She said quietly.

"I should have stopped this from happening. I had the choice."

"Ugh, stop feeling so guilty all the time. You made the right choice now and that's all that matters! I'm tired of all your moping around."

"You don't know what I've been through!"

"No, maybe I don't. But I have issues of my own that I don't use as an excuse to act so grumpy all the time!"

"I don't act grumpy!" He raised his voice.

"Settle down, people are staring." She whispered. He looked around and saw some concerned citizens staring at the two of them.

"Okay. I'm sorry. You're right."

"Course I am." She smirked.

"I think that's the house up there." They approached the cozy house and knocked on the door. A woman with brunette hair fastened in a small bun answered the door. Her face had tiny creases around her eyes and mouth, but she looked friendly. He could definitely see the resemblance to Jin.

"Hi. Is Jin home?" Zuko asked her cordially. Her face immediately turned into a frown.

"I'm afraid she's not." Her voice was full of sorrow and worry. "She's been missing for about a month now."

"What? Where is she?" Zuko asked. Thoughts flooded his mind of all the possible things that could have happened to her.

"If I knew, she wouldn't be missing, now would she?" A man came up and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Who are these people?" He asked her.

"Some friends looking for Jin."

"Oh." He looked down at the ground for a moment. "We searched the whole town for her. She didn't turn up anywhere. We think she must have run away."

"I don't understand why she would do that." Her mother turned and wrapped her arms around her husband and leaned into his chest. "We tried to give her the best life we could."

"We haven't figured out a good way to explain to her younger brother, Yong, why she hasn't been home. He misses her a lot."

"Where was the last place she went before she went missing?" Zuko asked.

"She said she was going to visit a boy named Li at a new tea shop." Her mother sniffed.

"I've never seen or heard of this boy before. I think it was just a cover up for the fact that she planned on running away." Her father added.

"No, he's a real person. I know him."

"You do know where he lives?" Her mother asked. Her voice had a spark of hope to it.

"Yes. I'm going to find your daughter. I'll make sure she is safe, you have my word." He bowed to them.

"It means so much to us that you would help out." Her father told him. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. My name is Zuko and this is my friend, Toph."

"Well we appreciate the help, you two. It would mean so much to have our daughter back." Toph and Zuko nodded to them and then continued walking.

"So where are we going now? And who's this Li guy?"

"Go figure, this is my fault again. She would have been safe if it wasn't for me!"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I'm Li. It was the name I used when my uncle and I were in hiding. She thinks I'm just an Earth Kingdom commoner. She went to go find me in the Upper Ring. The one ring that's taken over by the Fire Nation and she walked right into it to find me." He groaned.

"Well, good. For a second, I thought this whole rescue trip was going to be a waste." Toph flashed an intimidating grin. Zuko raised the corner of his mouth, but he didn't smile.

* * *

After a while, Jin lost track of time. It felt like it had been weeks. The time spent in the cell went by slowly. She was still in a great amount of pain. It was hard to be sure, but she believed that her arm was broken. She ripped off one of her sleeves to use as a sling to keep it secure, but it still stung with a shooting pain every time she made a tiny movement. The rations seemed to be getting smaller every mealtime (which was only once a day). She thought they might just appear that way because she was so hungry. She was also exhausted, and found it hard to sleep at night, and even harder to stay awake. She was finally starting to accept the fact that she was going to die in the tiny rock confinement. She just waited and waited for the time to pass, thinking about her family and friends and hoping they were safe.

She couldn't tell if it was day or night, but she assumed it was night. She curled back up in her corner, resting her hurt arm on her lap. She tried her best to doze off into sleep, but the discomfort she felt was too great. She sat there in silence and tried to suppress her thoughts.

The silence was interrupted by the rock wall vanishing into the ground. She knew they weren't serving her a meal, since she had already eaten for the day.

_Great. It's probably that same soldier who broke my arm. He did say next time, there would be fire. S_he cringed at her thoughts. Tears welled up in her eyes as she prepared for what was to come. She looked up to see two fully uniformed guards standing in the opening, one clearly shorter than the other. The taller one had two swords sheathed on his back.

"Is this the one?" the short guard asked the other.

"Yes. Nice job." The tall one replied. He took a step forward into the cell.

_Wait a second, _Jin thought. _How did they open the cell? I don't see a Dai Li member with them._ The soldier squatted down so he was eye level with Jin, and he removed his helmet.

"Li!" She squealed. Is that really you?"

"Shh. Yes, it's me. We're here to rescue you." He whispered. "And this is Toph."

"How are we going to get out?" She asked.

"Well, as of right now, the plan is to just walk out and hopefully there's no interruptions. We look like guards, so I don't think they'd question us."

"So let's go now." Toph said. Zuko helped Jin off the ground. She was in worse shape than he thought. She looked lean and hungry. Her pale face was dark blue and yellow in some places. Her hair was matted to her face. Zuko noticed her arm was held up by a homemade sling. There was a second bump next to her elbow, where it appeared that a bone was poking that area.

"Your arm is broken." He pointed out.

"Is it that bad?" She asked.

"Yes. We can heal that after we get out of here."

"You know healers?"

"One." He told her. "Now, let's go." There weren't any other guards in the area where Jin's cell was located. She had never seen the outside of it before. There were rows of rock walls all around the camp area, surrounded by an even bigger rock wall, preventing anyone from escaping that couldn't Earth bend. That reminded her of a question she had earlier.

"So can you Earth bend, Li?" She whispered as they were walking.

"What? Oh, uh no. Toph can."

"Oh." She was almost a little disappointed that Zuko wasn't a bender. Nobody in her immediate family was, and she always wanted to have a friend that could. They continued walking at a quick pace, but not fast enough that they stood out. They had almost reached the outer wall, when they were confronted by another guard.

"Chang? Is that you?" The question was directed towards Zuko.

"Uh…yeah." He said nervously.

"You're voice sounds different." The guard eyed him suspiciously. Zuko let out a fake cough.

"Oh, uh…I have a cold." He coughed again. "It's pretty bad."

"Ew, well stay away from me then." The guard replied.

"Sure thing." Zuko said. He motioned for Toph and Jin to follow him.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" The guard stopped him.

"Yes?" He tried to act calm.

"Did you hear about the two guys that snuck in here?"

"No."

"Oh, they mugged a couple of guards and stole their uniforms. The foreman is doing a head check actually. We're supposed to be lined up here pretty soon."

"Well, I have to handle this prisoner first."

"What are you doing with her?"

"Uh…" He couldn't think of a good excuse. "We were just…"

"She's a hidden Earth Bender. She needs to be transferred to where the Earth benders are being held." Toph chimed in.

"Oh, yes take here there immediately." They hurried off away from the guard.

"That was a close one." Toph sighed.

"Nice job on the quick excuse." Zuko pointed out.

"Thanks. These cells are obviously not built for Earth benders, so I figured they were keeping them somewhere else."

The outer wall was only a short distance away from them. Anxious to get out of the horrid camp, they picked up their pace.

"Hey, you two! Get over here. We're going a head check." A voice called to them. They glanced around to see a group of guards in a single file line removing their helmets. They panicked and took off running towards the wall that they were so close to.

"They're the imposters! Follow them!" a different voice yelled.

"Oh great. Now what do we do?" Zuko said as they were running. He grabbed on to Jin's wrist and pulled her faster.

"We have to make a speedy getaway. Follow me." Toph told them. A small entrance to a tunnel opened in front of them, and they hurried inside. She sealed the entrance behind them.

"I can't see anything!" Jin said.

"Don't worry. We should be safe now." Zuko said as he slowed down.

"Uh, I don't think so, you guys." Toph said. "Keep running!" They felt a small rumbling in the tunnel walls. A few feet ahead of them, two Dai Li members busted their way into the tunnel.

"Stop right where you are!" One of the Dai LI members yelled. The sound of his voice echoed throughout the tunnel.

"This way!" Toph called to Zuko and Jin. She had created another opening that headed in the other direction. They sprinted as fast as they could, but the Dai Li members were close behind. Toph sent an occasional boulder back at the members, but they dodged every one of them.

"They're just going to keep following us!" Zuko said.

"We have to split up!"

"What?" he yelled at her, but before he could continue speaking, the tunnels divided into three smaller ones, leaving the three of them separated.

* * *

Zuko kept running, following the quick curves of the tunnel. He couldn't see if anyone was behind him. He only hoped that they hadn't all went in Jin's tunnel. He wasn't particularly fond of Toph's idea to split up, especially leaving Jin alone in the dark. She was already hurt enough. He kept running faster and hoping that the tunnels would connect soon. He suddenly heard the sound of breaking rock echoing through the tunnel. _Oh great, they found my tunnel, _he thought to himself. He turned quickly and shot a line of flames down the tunnel, illuminating his surroundings. He saw the Dai Li get hit directly with the fire, each of them falling to the ground.

"Hey! I'm up here!" He heard Toph's voice call to him from the head of the tunnel.

"Where's Jin? He asked when he caught up to her. His question was answered when a tunnel opening appeared next to him, revealing Jin.

"Are they still following us?" She asked.

"No, I think Zuko took care of most of them and the rest are still pretty far away. I think it's safe to go to the surface now. We're well out of the city limits." The tunnel was dimly illuminated by an opening to the surface. "Let's hurry." Toph pulled out the bison whistle and blew into it. A dry, airy sound came out. "This better not be broken." It was a long, upwards slant to the surface, but they ran full speed making sure no Dai Li was following them. Sure enough, when they reached the surface, Appa was just flying down and landed next to the opening.

"You have a flying bison!" Jin exclaimed. "That's incredible.

"It's not exactly mine." Zuko admitted.

"But we get to fly on it?"

"Yes. Get on." He climbed on first, reaching his hand down to lift her up. "Yip, yip!" he yelled to Appa. He let out a small roar before taking off into the night sky.

* * *

_AN: Sorry for all the sloppy POV changes. I think this rescue scene went a lot better than the one in the old story. It's much longer too, so that's a plus. Ch. 3 coming soon! Also, I just made a quick little picture to go along with my story. Link: __wiki-wiki (.) deviantart (.) (com) (/) art (/) Never-Over-Anguished-183720141 I plan on making and drawing some more art to go with the story, so I'll probably post more later. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3: Agressive Negotiations

It was a long ride back to the Western Air Temple on the flying bison. Not too long ago, the three of them had made a narrow escape from Ba Sing Se, almost being captured by a group of tunneling Dai Li members. From the looks of the familiar grounds below, Zuko could tell they were heading in the right direction.

"Where are we going?" Jin asked. Her voice was quiet and weak, different from the soft, cheerful voice Zuko remembered.

"Western Air Temple." He told her.

"What about my family? We have to save them too! It'll be a matter of time before…" Zuko cut her off.

"We can't."

"What do you mean we can't?"

"You saw the way they were after us. They've probably alerted all the soldiers in the city to be on the lookout for us. We'd be diving headfirst into a trap if we went back."

"But they're going to capture them too!" Jin said almost hysterically. A few tears started to fall from her eyes. "They do horrible things in that camp." She wiped away the tears with her good arm and rested her face on her knees.

"They'll be safe."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. Just trust me, alright?" he argued. He knew it would be a while before the Fire Nation took control of the Lower Ring. He hoped the war wouldn't last that long. Jin relaxed herself and sighed.

"Okay, fine." She stared at him for a moment and then looked away. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." he said humbly.

"Oh thanks, Toph. The plans you came up with were so great! None of this would be possible without you!" Toph sarcastically chimed in.

"Thank you,Toph." Jin told her. "I'm Jin, by the way. I don't believe we've met before."

"Nope, but Sparky here told me all about you,"

"Did you just call him Sparky?" Jin looked puzzled.

"Uh, it's an old nickname, right Toph?" Zuko jumped in. He was just thankful Toph didn't use his real name. Jin was still unaware of his true identity, and he didn't want her to find out by accident. He would tell her…eventually.

"Oh, right." Toph said. "I've always called Li that." Jin smiled slightly.

"Well, it's a cute nickname." Zuko cringed at the word "cute". He'd never been associated with that word before, and he wasn't entirely sure if he enjoyed it. He brushed it off and let the conversation continue.

"So are you from Ba Sing Se too?" Jin asked her.

"Nope. Gaoling."

"Oh, okay. I know where that is. How did you meet Li then?"

"We're both traveling with the Avatar."

"The Avatar? He's alive? I didn't believe it. I heard he was…"

"Nope, he's definitely alive. This is his bison." Toph interrupted.

"You didn't tell me you knew the Avatar, Li!"

"I didn't at the time."

"Oh. Well what's he like? He must be over a hundred years old! I bet he's so wise and powerful." Jin ranted on.

"If you say so…" Toph chuckled. Zuko managed to smile a little bit, but soon remembered that Aang wasn't going to be too happy about his stolen Bison. He glanced over at Jin, who seemed to be mesmerized by the scenery around her. He forgot this was her first time outside of the walls of the city.

"How did you break your arm?" he blurted out. The question had been bothering him for a while now. Her wondrous expression soon turned into a frown.

"A guard." Zuko knew that already. A break like that doesn't come from falling down.

"Does it hurt?"

"I've managed to tune out the pain."

"It'll get healed soon. We should be getting close to the temple, maybe a few more hours." Toph groaned at the amount of time left.

"That long?"

A three lengthy hours went by, and the temple was finally in seeing distance. They could see the others standing below them, looking up at the Bison flying ahead.

"Do they look mad?" Toph asked.

"I don't know, I can't see yet." He squinted to get a closer look. "Yeah, they look mad."

"Well, don't worry. I said I'd take the blame for it and I will."

Appa finally landed on the ground a few feet away from where Katara, Sokka, and Aang were standing. Right as Zuko stepped off Appa, a stream of water whipped at him. He jumped back to avoid it, knocking into Jin, who was just getting off the Bison.

"Ow! My arm!" She cried as she fell to her knees. He crouched down next to her, analyzing her arm. Another whip of water came cracking at him, but it was blocked by flying boulder that flew out of the ground.

"Katara, wait! We can explain everything!" Toph yelled.

"He kidnapped you and stole Appa and now you're defending him?" Katara tried tossing spikes of ice towards Zuko, but Toph blocked them with another boulder. "Did he brainwash you or something?"

"He's the bad guy, Toph!" Sokka chimed in, his sword drawn in front of him.

"No! He's not! And if you're going to attack him, you're going to have to attack me first!" She tightened her stance in front of Zuko.

"Uh…guys? Violence is not the…" Aang said. He was quickly interrupted the sounds of whipping water and cracking rocks. Everyone was too fired up to listen to a peace talk.

"I don't want to fight you, Toph. Just move away from Zuko and you won't get hurt." She held her stance.

"Zuko?" Jin looked confused towards whom she thought was Li, but he was intently watching the argument.

"Oh, you think _you _will hurt _me_? You're going down, princess." Toph sent a fleet of small rocks soaring towards Katara. She sent a wave of water at them, freezing them in their place. One by one they dropped to the ground. Jin tapped Zuko on the shoulder.

"Li, what is going on? What are they fighting about?" he looked at her, but didn't say anything.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Toph yelled. He looked back up at the fight to see her trapped from the neck down by a block of ice. She struggled to get out, but couldn't budge. "Zuko, unfreeze me! Hurry! Melt the ice!" She wanted him to use fire…in front of Jin.

"I can't!" He didn't want his identity to be revealed, at least not in this way.

"What do you mean you can't? Do it or else they're going to attack you!" He looked over at Katara and Sokka, who were heading towards him. Then he looked down at Jin who looked completely shaken and confused by everything that was going on. After quickly deciding, he stood to his feet and sent a small blast of fire towards Toph, turning the ice encasing her into a puddle on the ground. He joined up next to her and held his stance, keeping to flames warmed up at the ends of his hands. Katara sent a wave of water towards him in attempt to freeze him. He sent out a shield of fire, blocking everything coming his way. He took a strong defensive stance as he punched forward, released a stream of fire towards Katara. She quickly extinguished it and retaliated. The fighting continued on back and forth for a while until Aang finally made his way into the middle, swiftly avoiding the strikes that were being thrown.

"STOP!" He yelled, sending a burst of air in all directions. The gust was so strong that everyone was knocked off their feet. "This is going nowhere! Do you even remember what you were fighting about?"

"Yeah! He's the enemy, so we have to fight him!" Sokka said, crawling up off the ground.

"You didn't even try to negotiate!"

"We were negotiating." Sokka objected. "I just like to think of it as…aggressive negotiating."

"But what were you really "negotiating" over?"

"He stole Appa, remember?" Katara reminded him.

"But Appa's right there." Aang pointed towards the giant bison, who grunted at the sound of his name. "He's safe now."

"Toph was defending Zuko! She's a traitor!" Sokka replied.

"She probably has a reason for it." Said Aang. Katara sighed.

"Okay, fine. What do you want us to do then?"

"We need to work this out like civilized people. Toph, what do you have to say?"

"You need to learn fire bending, Aang. You know that. And here we have a teacher who's willing to instruct you and you are all turning him down and trying to attack him. He wasn't lying when he said he changed his ways. He's on our side now. We can't win this war unless you learn all the elements."

"Okay. Sokka?" Aang looked towards Sokka, gesturing at him to speak.

"Remember all those things he did to us? He followed us around the world and tried to capture you! "

"and Katara?"

"I don't trust him, but whatever you decide, I'll go with."

"Okay and Zuko, what do you have to say?"

"Where's Jin?"

"Is that the girl you brought here?"

"Yes. Where'd she go?"

"She ran off while you guys were too busy fighting. See? This is why fighting is never…"

"What? Which way?" Zuko cut him off. He guessed she would react negatively, but he had no idea she would run away. If she didn't get her arm healed soon, it might be past the point of fixing.

"I don't remember."

"I have to find her!"

"I'll help you." Toph jumped in.

"We all will." Aang looked towards the two siblings. "Right, guys?"

"I'm staying here." Sokka crossed his arms and turned his head in the other direction.

"I don't trust you alone with him." Katara glared towards Zuko. "So I'm coming too." Sokka still stood with his arms crossed. The gang started walking towards the wooded area that surrounded the temple.

"Okay I'm coming too!" He ran to catch up with the rest of them. The group stopped when they reached the edge of the forest. The branches were so dense, it was impossible to see more than a few feet in.

"Do you think she went this way?" Toph asked. "I don't feel anything in there. At least nothing human."

"She had to have gone in there. The only other way out of the temple is to jump off a cliff, so this is the only other way to go." Aang explained. Zuko's expression stayed blank. He stared into the dark forest for a moment.

"It's getting dark." He said. He illuminated a small bulb of fire that hovered above his palm. "This can be your first official fire bending lesson. Create a fire like this in your hand." He looked over at Aang, who had an uneasy expression as he stared into the small flame.

"Uh, maybe we can start the lesson tomorrow. I don't think I'm ready."

"It's now or never. Do you want to learn or not?" Zuko said angrily.

"Okay, okay! Fine." Aang held out his palm and struggled to push out a flame.

"Just breathe. It's all about breathing." This time he took a deep breath and managed to form a tiny flame that hardly lit anything. "It's a start. Keep it going. Let's go." The gang one by one stepped into the forest, Zuko and Aang leading the way.

"Do you feel anything, Toph?" Aang asked.

"I don't know. There are so many things moving in this forest it's hard to tell."

"What?" Sokka yelped. "What do you mean moving things?"

"Settle down there, Mr. Brave. It's just some harmless animals."

"Oh." Sokka said, trying to play off the fact that he was scared.

They continued searching the dark forest, calling for Jin. Toph still couldn't feel any human-like movements in the forest. It seemed to grow darker as the brush above them thickened and covered up the moonlight. The small palm flames didn't seem to light the way well enough anymore.

"Zuko, it's getting really late and we're already pretty deep in the forest. By the time we start heading back…" Aang started to say.

"Go." He replied quickly. His tone sounded preoccupied.

"Huh?" Aang wasn't expecting his fast response.

"Go. I'm going to stay and keep looking."

"But it's really dark and…"

"I don't care." He interrupted him again. "You guys can go if you want. I'm not done yet."

"Well, you heard the man. Let's go back you guys." Sokka jumped in. He seemed awfully anxious to get out of that forest.

"I am getting really tired." Katara yawned. "We've been walking around here for hours."

"I'll walk these guys back." Aang said. "Toph, you coming too?"

"I think I'll stay with Sparky, here."

"You should go back too." Zuko told her.

"He's right, Toph." Katara agreed.

"Oh fine, I will. I'll just help him look a little bit longer."

"Okay, but hurry back." Aang, Sokka, and Katara disappeared into the darkness of the trees. Zuko could still hear them arguing in the distance.

"Aang, I can't see a thing. Your flame light is pathetic! Ow!"

"I'm sorry guys! I'm trying."

"Zuko was actually useful to us for once." Katara joked.

"Maybe you should go with them and help them lead the way." Zuko suggested to Toph.

"I guess." She sighed. He didn't understand why she wanted to help him search for Jin. Maybe she felt guilty. He watched her as she faded into the forest. He kept on walking, holding out the flame in front of him.

* * *

Jin was so shocked she could hardly comprehend what she just saw. But she was sure that she saw it, the glowing red flame that poured from Li's hand. They called him by a different name earlier, Suko or something. _He lied. He's a fire bender. He's one of them, _she thought. She stared appallingly at the group of fighting people, throwing the elements back and forth at each other. A rock here, a flame there. She couldn't watch it anymore.

_What kind of people are they? And where is the Avatar? Everyone there was young. He must have lied about traveling with him. Not surprising, since he lied about his own identity._ Before she could think another though, she took off running. She didn't care if anyone saw her or not, she pumped her legs as fast as she could. She came to a quick halt when she approached a line of trees. She panned over the surroundings. There was nowhere else to go except in the forest. _At least they won't find me in there, _she thought. She wasn't running for much longer until she finally realized how weak she felt. She hadn't eaten a decent meal in about a month and her mouth was bone dry, causing her throat to burn. Her arm felt like it had a heartbeat. The jagged ground she was running on caused it to bump around. The pain swirled around inside her, making her head spin. She felt lighter and lighter until finally everything went black.

* * *

Toph kept walking until she was invisible to Zuko. She wasn't going to let him wander the forest by himself. If something was coming towards him, he would never feel it until it was too late. She heard his voice coming from ahead. _Is he talking to someone? I don't feel anyone up there, _she thought.

"I should have just been honest from the beginning. Then you would never come looking for me. Everything that happened to you is my fault. I thought I was fixing things, but look, I messed them up again. Why can't I ever do something right the first time? Or the second! I wish I was still with my uncle in Ba Sing Se, working at that tea shop. You could still come and visit every day. Maybe we could even go on a…second date. And I wouldn't run away this time. I'm so stupid! You can't even hear any of this, so why am I talking? Agh!"

_Wow, the kid really does have issues, _Toph thought. She felt a large rock a few feet above where he was walking. She quickly Earth bended it flat to make sure he didn't trip over it. She continued to follow him through the forest, occasionally smoothing out the path for him. His eyes grew weary and his paced slowed. He was beginning to give up his search. She watched as he came to stop, resting both his hands against a tree and looking at the ground.

"I'll continue looking in the morning. Just stay safe." He muttered to himself. He sank to the ground and rested his head on his arm. Toph waited until she was sure he was asleep before she bended a small rock tent over him.

"I'm way too nice to you." She whispered.

* * *

Zuko woke up abruptly, his neck aching from the hard ground. He looked around him to see that he was in a small rock cave of some sort. _Toph, _he thought. It was still nighttime and it hadn't felt like he slept long. He decided to find his way out of the forest. Jin wouldn't have gotten this far. She had to be in a different part. He illuminated the forest with a small flame and quickly made his way back to the campsite where the others were. When he got there, he saw Sokka suspiciously loading supplies on Appa.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Sokka jumped back and let out a startled scream.

"Where'd you come from? I'm not doing anything, don't worry about it."

"It doesn't look like nothing. You're going somewhere!"

"Shhh! Okay! You caught me."

"Where are you going that requires you to sneak out in the middle of the night?"

"Well, I saw how you went to rescue your girlfriend…" _She's not my girlfriend! _Zuko yelled in his head instead of vocalizing it. "…and it made me realized that I need to rescue someone important to me too. My dad is somewhere in a Fire Nation prison and it's my fault." Sokka's face formed a frown. Zuko knew exactly what he was feeling. It was his fault that Jin was captured. _And it's my fault that she's missing too, _he thought to himself.

"I understand…but do you honestly have any idea where you're going? And with a bison? Yeah, that's not going to be conspicuous at all. Did you even think this through?"

"Hey, I didn't ask for your input, okay? You can go away now."

"No. I'm coming with you."

"No way."

"Well, okay…I guess if you don't want me to direct you to the prison your father is probably in, that's fine by me." Zuko started to walk in the other direction. "It's not like I would know where anything is in the Fire Nation."

"Agh! Okay fine."

"I have a better way to travel, follow me."

* * *

"Would you like some tea?" Jin heard. She slowly slipped back into consciousness as her eyes fluttered open.

"Huh?" she didn't quite comprehend the words, but the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Would you like some tea?" She opened her eyes to see Mushi sitting with his legs crossed and two cups of tea steaming in his hands. She managed to hoist herself up with one arm and grabbed a cup. It was delicious, just like she remembered his tea. They were inside some sort of tent. She could tell it was morning by the orange light that shined through the tent wall.

"Mushi? Where am I? What happened? Where did you come from?"

"Ah, slow down. Enjoy your tea first." She closed her mouth, but her head still flooded with questions. She started to recall the night before. She wasn't going to be silent any longer.

"No, I deserve some kind of explanation. Who are you?"

"I am Mushi." He sipped his tea loudly.

"No, I mean who are you really? I'm tired of being lied to!"

"My name is Iroh."

"You're just like him, aren't you?" she whispered.

"Like who?"

"Your nephew. You're from the Fire Nation."

"Yes." Another loud sip.

"How?

"Well, I was born in the Fire Nation, so that would mean…"

"No, I mean how could someone like you be from there? You're so kind and friendly."

"So are many other people in the nation. It is such a shame that the only people from the Fire Nation that the rest of the world sees are the cruel ones." Jin didn't know what to say. He had a point. The pain in her arm reminded her of the cruelty she had been through.

"So you're Iroh. Who is he?"

"My nephew's name is Zuko. Anything else you want to know about him, you'll have to ask him. You should hear what he has to say about himself, rather than what I can say about him. I'm sure he'd want to be the one to explain."

"I don't want any explanations." She felt her eyes well up with tears. She tried to hold them back, but her voice started to squeak. "I just want to go home to my family and be safe, but that won't ever happen. I want our city to be peaceful again. I just want this war to be over! " She couldn't hold it back any longer. She started to sob.

"You are not the only one who feels that way." He told her calmly. "And I can understand how you might not want anything to do with Zuko, but I think you'd both feel a lot better with an explanation."

"I don't…even…care…anymore." She choked between sobs. She tried to compose herself as much as she could so she could speak clearly. "There's nowhere to go that's safe, everywhere is being taken over by the Fire Nation. I didn't even know about the war until recently. It was the best kept secret in Ba Sing Se. I had no idea how bad it actually was. Li...Zuko…said that he was traveling with the Avatar, but that was just another lie. He was just with a bunch of other kids. There's no one to save us." The sobs began again. "There's…no…hope…anymore."

"My nephew is traveling with the Avatar? That is wonderful news!" Iroh smiled.

"He said he was, but I didn't see him."

"The Avatar is a kid. He is younger than Zuko, I believe."

"So the fate of the world is in the hands of a kid?"

"The fate of the world is in everyone's hand. Everyone must do their part to stop this war, even if it's just simply staying brave. Everyone has to follow their own destiny, and I'm so happy to hear that my nephew has finally found his. He is more complex that you can ever imagine."

Jin sat there for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. She pictured Zuko. His face had always shown signs of his complexity and not just because of that scar over his eye. She remembered the twisting looks on his face, almost as if he was arguing with someone internally. But then the fiery orange glow filled her memories.

"I just don't know what to think. Everything is happening so fast. It seems like just yesterday I found out there was a war going on, and now I feel like I've been thrown in the middle of it because of him."

"I know you have a lot of feelings towards my nephew and our nation, and it's perfectly understandable."

"You've both been so kind to me, but I'm still afraid."

"Are you afraid that we will harm you?"

"No."

"Then what are you afraid of?" She grimaced at the question. She didn't know how to answer.

"I've personally experienced what the Fire Nation does now, and after discovering the truth about Zuko, I can't stop associating him with the other ones. I know I shouldn't include him with them, but I can't even picture him in my mind without picturing the soldiers in Ba Sing Se."

"If you choose to speak with my nephew again, I can tell you that he is nothing like any soldier you have seen. I warn you though, he can be…difficult to communicate with. He has endured many struggles in his life that have made him who is he today, for better or for worse."

"I…I don't know." She sniffed. "I have to think things over. May I ask where we are actually at?"

"Nowhere in particular, but I can tell you where I'm going. I'm going to Ba Sing Se."

"What? Why?"

"To see some friends. You can join me if you would like."

"No! I am not going to see any friends of yours there. I've already seen enough of them!"

"I do not mean Fire Nation soldiers, my dear girl. I am talking about non-Fire Nation friends."

"Oh." She felt silly for over reacting. "But the city is in no condition for talk and tea with friends. Your friends have probably been captured." She shivered at the thought of more people being taken to camps.

"I doubt that. Trust me, where we are going, we will be perfectly safe. And I think you'd like to meet my friends. They are interesting people." Jin didn't know what else to do. She could go back to Zuko and the Avatar, but she wasn't sure if she was ready just yet. She didn't have much of another choice.

"I suppose I'll come."

"It's going to be a long trip. You look hungry." Her stomach growled.

"I am."

"We'll leave after lunch. It's settled."

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_AN: Sorry for the delay, but here it is! There's a lot of POV changes in this one, I know, but I felt they were necessary. No estimate on when Ch. 4 will be ready, so keep checking back._


	4. Chapter 4: Lost and Found

_AN: Short chapter, well shorter than the others. I'm sorry that most of this chapter is just a novelization of the episode(s). I didn't want to change the way the series was for these parts, but I didn't want to just do quick summaries of everything that happened, so you'll probably find a lot of this stuff familiar. I promise the story will be getting original soon, just gotta get to post-war. Anyways, enjoy! and don't forget to review. _

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Zuko returned from his trip to the Boiling Rock, the prison where the most dangerous criminals were held. He and Sokka went in search of Hakoda, Sokka's father, but came back with not just Hakoda, but Sokka's friend Suki too. They just barely made it out alive after encountering Zuko's sister, Azula. She was two years younger than Zuko, but she was already a far more skilled Fire Bender. They never got along during their childhood and she was always the favorite of their father. Now, she was working together with their father to control the war. The day Ba Sing Se was taken over, Zuko had agreed to join her and return to the Fire Nation with his honor restored. After he decided to be a part of the Avatar's group, his sister tracked him down and tried to get rid of him at the prison, but failed when her friends, Mai and Ty Lee, turned against her. Zuko was thankful that they finally made the right choice, but he knew his sister would only be twice as furious after that stunt.

They left a note this time to avoid any confusion when they returned. Katara was ecstatic to see her father again and she even managed to thank Zuko for it, despite her strong disliking of him. Zuko could only enjoy the happy reunion for so long without feeling nauseous. He decided to take a walk to get some alone time. It was close to the middle of the day and the sun was still high in the sky. He knew that in only a matter of days, the sky would be filled with Sozin's comet. And somewhere out underneath the same sky, Jin was out there. It had been three days since she ran away and he couldn't bear to imagine what could be happening to her. If he didn't find her before the comet, she could be in a lot of danger. Of course, he wasn't entirely sure that Jin wanted to be found. If he just had the chance to explain things to her, maybe she wouldn't be afraid of him.

"Why does it even matter what she thinks of you? She's just some girl. I rescued her and now I don't owe her anything. Why should I even waste my time looking for her?" he thought outloud.

"Because you obviously care about her." Zuko jumped at the voice behind him. He really needed to stop talking to himself.

"Ahh! What are you…? Did you follow me?" It was Aang who had snuck up on him.

"No. Well…I guess…kind of yeah." He scratched the back of his bald head. "You looked kind of angry when you walked off, so I figured it was a good time for a firebending lesson!" He wanted to object. He actually wasn't in the mood to teach firebending, but he could sure release some fire. But he remembered the approaching comet and Aang was nowhere near ready to face his father.

"I guess you do need _a lot_ more training."

"Hey! I'm not that bad, am I?" he asked.

"Uh, let's just go train." Zuko avoided that question. He really need more practice than they had time for. "So you know how to hold the fire in your hands now, but you need to work on extending it, without losing control. If you don't control the fire, it will control itself. Here, just try this." He widened his stance, inhaled, and punched forward his fist, releasing a burst of fire. Aang tried to stand firmly and punch forward, but he lost control of the fire and it spread in every direction, almost hitting Zuko. He ducked out of the way as the flames dissipated above him.

"I'm so sorry!" Aang said. "This is why I can't firebend. I always hurt someone." He looked down at the ground.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt me. You need to learn to associate fire with other things than hurt, as hard as that may be. There's a big difference between fire and the other three elements. With water, Earth, and air, they are all something you just manipulate. Yes, you can manipulate fire, but you can also create it. It's already inside of you. You created it, you control it. Don't let it control you." He let out a long chain of fire which followed the movement of his arm. It's not just a weapon, it's a light source, it's a heat source, it's life."

Aang tried once more to control the fire and he succeeded. The small burst of fire flew out of his fist in a continuing stream before it died down. He grinned at his accomplishment.

"That was…good. But you're going to need a lot more work than that. We need to work on stamina and…" Zuko was interrupted by Katara's voice calling to Aang.

"Aang, it's dinner time!"

"Oh boy! Coming!" He began to take of running towards the camp area, but he was stopped by a firm hand to his chest.

"Not so fast, training isn't over."

"But, Zuko…it's dinner time and…"

"Fine. Go. But I'm going to tell you now, even if we train for the next three days, you won't be ready to defeat my father." Katara, Toph, and Sokka walked over to them to see what was taking so long.

"Well…about that. We figured we would just wait till after the comet to battle the Firelord. I need more time to master firebending."

"Yeah," Toph joined the conversation. "and your Earthbending could use a little work.

"and if Aang was going to fight the Firelord now, he'd lose…no offence."

"How long have you guys been planning to do this?" Zuko asked. He tried to hold in his temper as much as he could. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Well after Ba Sing Se was taken over, the Fire Nation pretty much won the war. And the plan to fight the Firelord before the comet was to stop them from winning the war. It can't get much worse, so we might as well wait." Katara explained.

"Wrong. It's going to get much worse than you could even imagine. Before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. " he paused for a moment to think of a way to explain it. Everyone was silent, waiting for him to continue. "On the day of the comet, he plans on burning the Earth Kingdom to the ground and bring an end to Earth Kingdom citizens, just the same way my great-grandfather wiped out the Air Nomads. It was my sister's idea. I wanted to speak out against these horrifying plans, but…last time I spoke out at a war meeting…" he brought his hand up to his eye. "…I got this." The gang continued to stand there in shock.

"I can't believe it." Katara shook her head.

"I knew the Firelord was bad, but this is just…evil." Sokka said.

"What am I supposed to do? Aang was almost expressionless, which was very unusual for him.

"I know you're scared. And I know you're not ready to save the world." Zuko looked him right in the eyes. "But if you don't defeat the Firelord before the comet, there won't be a world to save anymore. You have to take his life before he takes yours."

"Why didn't you tell me about your dad's crazy plan sooner?" Aang started to pace frantically in a circle.

"I didn't think I needed to! You never told me that you planned on waiting till after the comet!

"This is bad. Really, _really_ bad!" Aang said, pressing his hands to his face. He dropped to his knees and shook his head.

"You don't have to do this alone." Katara said. She walked up behind him and gently touched him on the shoulder.

"If we all fight the Firelord, we have a shot at taking him down!" Toph said enthusiastically. Zuko still didn't understand how they could be getting excited about this battle.

"Alright! Team Avatar is back!" Sokka cheered. "Air, water, Earth, fire, fan and sword!"

"This fight is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done together. But I wouldn't want to do it any other way." Aang said. Everyone came together and made a group hug around Aang, but Zuko stood back.

"Get over here, Zuko." Katara yelled towards him. "Being part of the group includes the group hugs." _Do I have to?_ Zuko thought. He gave in and walked over, wrapping his arms around Toph and Suki.

The gang had made their way into the Fire Nation. They went to Ember Island and stayed in Zuko's old vacation house. The location brought back a lot of memories for him. Although the memories of the island were good, the good memories lead to bad ones. He just preferred not to recall anything. By the time they arrived, it was dark and getting pretty late. They all headed inside the small beach house to pick out rooms.

"Aw, look at this picture!" He heard Katara say from down the hall.

"What is it?" Toph asked her.

"It's an old family portrait. There's a little Zuko in it!" She giggled. "Hey Zuko, look at this!" The last thing he wanted to do was look at that picture. He turned around and shot a small ball of fire towards the picture, igniting it on the wall. "Hey!" Katara yelled. She quickly bended some water from her canteen onto the picture, extinguishing the flames. "That was uncalled for!"

"No, the fact that the picture is still hanging in here is uncalled for. Those times are over, there's no need for it now." He replied without turning around. He just wanted to get away.

"I didn't know he felt so strongly." He heard Katara say to Toph. "I feel bad. Maybe I should go apologize."

"Nah, he just wants to be alone." He was grateful that at least someone realized that he hasn't been in the mood for company lately. He found the old guest room he used to sleep in. It was untouched and everything had a layer of dust on it. He didn't even bother lighting the room. He just jumped right into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

"Zuko! Zuko, wake up!" This wasn't how he preferred to be woken up in the morning. It was Katara who was yelling at him. He sat up and stretched out his arms.

"What is it?" He asked through a yawn. Her face looked distraught. He immediately sat up straight. He could tell something bad had happened.

"Aang's missing!"

"What? When did you notice he was gone?"

"He wasn't in his bed this morning."

"Alright, let's go search." He told her.

"Hey guys! Come look at this!" Sokka called from outside the house. They quickly ran to where the voice was. "He left his staff on the porch. He would never leave his staff."

"Let's go look at the beach." Katara suggested. When they got down there, they discovered footprints that led to the ocean.

"They stop here…"Sokka said curiously.

"So he went for a midnight swim and never came back?" Suki asked.

"Maybe he was captured." Katara suggested.

"I don't think so. There's no sign of a struggle."

"He ran away." Toph said.

"No, he left his glider and Appa." Sokka objected.

"Well where do _you _think he went?" Toph said, sounding annoyed.

"When Aang disappears before a big battle, he's usually on a Spirit World journey!" he said confidently.

"His body would still be here." Zuko pointed out.

"Oh yeah."

"He's gotta be on this island somewhere. Let's split up and look for him." Katara ordered.

"I'm going with Zuko!" Toph quickly ran over and latched on to his arm. He felt his face get warm. Of course, he would rather be in a group with Toph rather than Katara or Sokka. He knew they had both lightened up to him, but he wasn't sure if they exactly liked him yet.

After a few hours of searching the island, the gang met back at the beach house.

"No luck either?" Sokka asked them.

"No. It's like he just…disappeared." Zuko sighed. This was not good. The comet was just two days away.

"Hey, did any of you guys notice that Momo is missing too?" Toph pointed out.

"He must be with Aang." said Sokka. They all stood there for a moment, pondering Aang's possible whereabouts.

"So…what should we do, Zuko?" Katara asked him. He was caught off guard by the question.

"I don't know...why are you all looking at me?" he looked around, avoiding eye contact with the gazes that were focused on him.

"Well, you are kind of an expert on tracking Aang."

"Oh…right." He tried not to remember that part of his life sometimes. He thought hard about how he used to track the Avatar. He remembered one method in particular that worked well. He led the gang to an old Earth Kingdom tavern. They were quite confused on why he would bring them all the way there, but he knew exactly what he was doing. When they entered the tavern, they saw a familiar woman.

"Hey, I remember her! She helped you attack us." Sokka noticed.

"Yep. Good times." Zuko rolled his eyes as he approached June. She agreed to help them find Aang. They went outside to where her shirshu was tied up. She tossed a piece of raw meat to it and patted her on the back of the head.

"I need something with the Avatar's scent on it." she told them.

"Here's his staff." Katara handed it to the dark-haired woman. She held it infront of the shirshu and allowed it to sniff the staff. It started to run around frantically like it had a lead, but then it just bowed its head down behind June and held it's paws to its nose.

"Well? What does that mean?" Zuko asked.

"It means your friend's gone. He doesn't exist."

"What do you mean he doesn't exist? You don't mean like…dead, do you?" Sokka hesitantly asked.

"Nope. We could find him if he was dead. Well, see ya."

"Wait!" Toph said. "Maybe we can find Jin this way."

"I don't have anything with her scent." Zuko said almost sadly. "But, I have another idea." He pulled out an old sandal that belonged to his uncle and let the large animal sniff it.

"She's definitely found a lead. Let's go!" June said. They followed them a long ways up a rocky slope. The place she led them too looked familiar.

"This is Ba Sing Se." Zuko said. There was a small crack in the wall that was big enough to walk through.

"Your uncle is close by, just beyond those walls. Good luck." Said June as she rode off. They entered through the small crack and found themselves between the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

"Well look who it is!" said Bumi, who was standing next to Pakku, Piandao , and Jeong Jeong.

"Who are these people?" Toph asked.

"These are great masters and good friends of ours!" Katara explained. They chatted for a moment before Zuko interrupted.

"So where's my uncle?"

"Ah, Iroh. He's in his tent, I believe." Pakku told him.

"I have to go talk to him." He proceeded to the tent where his uncle was staying. He paced outside for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. He stopped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"You okay?" She asked him.

"No. My uncle hates me. He was the only one who ever supported me and I turned against him. How can he ever forgive me?"

"You're sorry for what you did right?"

"More sorry than I've ever been in my life."

"Then he'll forgive you." He inhaled deeply before entering the tent. His uncle was facing opposite of the entrance, reading a scroll of some sort. He didn't turn around to acknowledge Zuko's presence.

"Uncle, I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me…" his felt tears well up in his eyes. There was no point for him to try to hold them back, so he let them flow. "…but I want you to know that I am so, so sorry Uncle. I'm so sorry and ashamed of what I did. I don't know how I can ever make it up to you but I'll…" He was cut off by the old man pulling him into a tight embrace. Zuko was surprised. He was almost unsure of what to say. His rehearsed apology didn't include this situation.

"How can you forgive me so easily? I thought you would be furious."

"I was never angry with you, I was sad. I was sad because I thought you lost your way." Iroh told him.

"I did lose my way."

"But you found it again…on your own. And I'm so happy you found your way here."

"I'm happy too." That sat there for a moment, just happy to be reunited. Iroh broke finally spoke up.

"I believe there is someone else you should talk to. She's in the next tent over." Zuko was confused. He didn't know who he else he could possibly need to talk to at this campsite. He didn't question his uncle. He hesitantly walked over to the tent. He opened it up to see Jin lying down, staring at the tent ceiling. She jumped slightly as he walked in. She seemed to be just as surprised as he was.

"Jin." he said. She sat up and eyed him, but didn't say anything right away. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Your uncle found me and brought me here. He's really kind."

"Yeah…" This was too awkward, even for Zuko. He tried to think of a way to opt out of the situation. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I'll just go now." He started to turn around, but she stopped him.

"No, it's okay. You can stay."

"Oh." He didn't know what else to say. He took a seat across from her and folded his legs. She mimicked his position and looked at him.

"Your uncle wouldn't tell me anything about you. I mean the _real _you. He said you would want to explain yourself"

"You actually want to hear?"

"Yes." She looked up at him. Her hazel-green eyes were wide as she stared at him, ready to listen.

"I don't think it's necessary to burden you with my life's story. I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for lying about who I was." Before she could respond, he began to talk again. "But you have to understand why I did it."

"I do underst…" she started to say.

"I know you think I'm like one of the bad ones. But I'm not." He kept going, disregarding Jin.

"I don't think you're…"

"I used to be, but I've changed now. And I would never…" he interrupted again.

"Stop!" She half-yelled at him. "You don't have to keep apologizing. I understand why you lied. It's okay."

"It is?" He was not expecting that reaction.

"Yes. I should actually apologize to you for overreacting. After all that you've done for me, I don't know why I ran away from you."

"I know why. Because this war has given people every reason to fear firebenders."

"I'm not scared of _you_, I'm scared of…I'm just scared of this war. I feel like I just got sucked in the middle of it so quickly. I was living a perfectly normal life until…"

"Until you met me." he looked down at his feet. Without looking up, he felt her arms wrap around his shoulders, but there was still distance between them. She rested her head on his shoulders. He twitched for a second, but then relaxed. He actually felt…comfortable.

"That's not true." She said.

"How can you deny it?" He straightened up and she released her grip. "It's my fault Ba Sing Se was taken over in the first place, and you wouldn't have even gotten captured if you didn't go looking for me."

"How could it possibly be your fault that the city was taken over?" She asked. He forgot that she still didn't know an important fact about him.

"Because I'm the crown prince of the Fire Nation."

"What?" She just looked at him. "You've got to be kidding."

"No. I sometimes wish it wasn't true, but it is."

"How do I manage to get myself involved with the prince of the Fire Nation?" she groaned. He couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation.

"You must have some really bad luck." He chuckled.

"Or maybe it's really good luck." She smiled.

"Your arm is healed." He changed the subject. Her arm was no longer in a sling.

"Oh yeah. A waterbender here fixed it, Pakku, I think his name was. He had to rebreak it first because it began to heal improperly." Her eyebrows turned downward as she spoke.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, now I am."

"I'm sorry."

"You can't be sorry for everything bad that happens to me."

"I can." She sighed and continued on with a different topic.

"I don't understand. If you're the prince, why aren't you…in the Fire Nation?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "and why were you going undercover in Ba Sing Se?"

"We should save the stories of my past for another day. Right now we need to focus on the future. Like...two days into the future to be specific."

"What's in two days?"

"Sozin's comet."

"What's that?"

"When the comet comes, firebenders will be able to draw power from it. My father, the Firelord, plans on using that power to wipe out the whole Earth Kingdom unless the Avatar stops him." Jin gasped.

"No…there's no way!"

"Yes there is."

"Well the Avatar is going to stop him, right?"

"If we can find him before then. He went missing yesterday."

"But, my family! My whole life was in the Earth Kingdom." Her voice cracked. "It's all going to be gone."

"I won't let that happen." Zuko said firmly.

"Do you promise?" she sniffed. He didn't know what to tell her. He didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep, but he didn't want to upset her more.

"I promise." He said uneasily.


	5. Chapter 5: The Comet

**ATTENTION READERS: **As you may have noticed, this story has been put on hold for quite some time. This is due to several reasons, one of them being all free time was eliminated from my schedule during the middle and end of the school year...but oh hey, IT'S SUMMER! And this story WILL continue. So alert it, fave it, or just keep an eye on it because updates will be coming! Leave a review as well and let me know what you want to happen in the story because to be honest, I don't even remember where this story was going to go. So we'll just see where it heads. Also if you would like, check out my crappy little story I'm working on at . Just search the author Wiki wiki and check it out. (It's poorly written and has no time put into it, I just wanted to write something.) So thanks to all those who have taken the time to read this story and review it, etc. You guys are the reason I'm going to keep writing :) body slams and ^5's from your good ol' pal, Wiki

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Zuko was feeling at ease after being reunited with his uncle and Jin, but those feelings didn't last for long. The comet was just a day away and the uneasy feelings flooded his conscious. The gang was gathered around a small fire that his uncle was using to brew tea for everyone. He sat on a stump next to Jin, who was stuffing her face with breakfast, not unlike the rest of them. They all knew that this would be the last meal they ate before heading off to the Fire Nation. It was early morning and the sun was still hidden.

"So what are we going to do without Aang?" Sokka asked. "How can we possibly defeat the Firelord?" Everyone stopped eating and looked up, waiting for someone to suggest an answer, but it was silent.

"Uncle," Zuko looked towards Iroh. "You're the only one of us who could defeat him. You have to do it."

"I can't"

"Why not?"

"It would not end the war peacefully. It would just be two brothers fighting for the throne. It's something that the history books have seen many times before. The Avatar must end the war."

"But he's not here." Toph joined in. "If he's not here to end the war, then who will?"

"He will fight the Firelord. It is his destiny. We all have our destinies today. Today, I must take Ba Sing Se back from the Fire Nation and give it back to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko, you must be there to take the throne when the Firelord is defeated. But there is someone else who is going to want to take it."

"Azula. I can fight her."

"Not alone."

"You're right. Katara, will you join me?"

"I'd be my pleasure." She flashed an intimidating grin at him.

"What about the rest of us?" Sokka asked.

"What do you think you should do?" Iroh asked the group.

"I think we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleets. Then when Aang comes, we'll be right there to help if needed."

"Yeah! We can do that!" Toph said excitedly.

"I'm going with Zuko." Jin said.

"No." He said quickly without thinking.

"Yes."

"I'm not putting you in danger."

"Where else do you expect me to go?" Zuko looked over at his uncle who didn't say a word. He was hoping he would have a suggestion.

"I don't know! Somewhere safe."

"Zuko, it's the day of the comet. Can you possibly think of a safe place to be?" Sokka said.

"Well…I don't…maybe…" he stammered.

"At least if she was with you, you'd know if anything went wrong." Toph pointed out. He couldn't believe that Toph was siding against him.

"Jin knows her destiny, just as you know yours." Iroh said. Not his uncle too. He had enough of this conversation. He stood up from the stump he was seated on and walked away with no destination in mind. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps behind him. Could he ever get a moment of alone time without being followed?

"Wait up!" Jin called. She was jogging to catch up with him.

"I've made up my mind. Don't even bother."

"That's not what I want."

"What then?" he stopped walking and turned to her. His tone was slightly frustrated, but she still remained calm.

"I wanna know about your past now."

"This is not the time."

"Why not? We have time. The sun isn't even up yet." He sighed.

"Fine." They continued walking. He went on to explain about his banishment from the Fire Nation at age thirteen. He also explained to her where the scar came from, how his mother disappeared to save his life, and the way he spent years searching for the Avatar.

"Wow." She said. "How could your father do that to his own son? That's just…cruel."

"Look at what he's done to the world. Is it really that unbelievable?"

"I guess you're right. I'm so sorry."

"I don't need your sympathy!" he snapped. He stopped walking and faced her. Before he could say another word, she threw herself at him and pulled him into an embrace. _Does my anger not faze this girl?_ he thought to himself. He wasn't exactly used to these affectionate displays and he wasn't sure how he felt. He stood there motionless for a while until she let go.

"Now I understand why you have such a bad temper sometimes. And why you walked away that night in Ba Sing Se…"

"I told you it was complicated."

"But it's not complicated enough to keep me away. I know at first I was shocked, but I had time to think and…well, I don't exactly know why, but I trust you."

"You'd be a lot better off if you didn't. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I know that I'm coming with you today. Please." He thought about the options for a moment. He concluded that everyone was right. The only way he could be sure she was safe is if she was with him.

"Fine." She smiled.

"I thought you said your mind was made up?" she joked.

"Don't push it." He still had no idea how she could manage to put up with him. Not many people could do that. She just continued smiling. The sky was lightening and the comet would be coming anytime now. As they were walking back, the sun started to come up, leaving the sky a radiant orange color.

"It's so pretty." Jin said in awe.

"It's the comet. It's almost here." When they got back to the campsite, the others were already packing to head to the Fire Nation. After saying their goodbyes, Zuko and Jin climbed aboard Appa and joined Katara. The comet now blazed overhead, darkening the shadows. They arrived just in time for the coronation. The Fire Sage was just getting ready to place the diadem on Azula's head. He paused before doing it, clearly eyeing the giant bison in the background.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!"

"Sorry, but you aren't becoming Firelord today." Zuko jumped down off Appa, holding a firm stance. "I am." Azula turned to him, looking surprised at first, but then her face turned into an arrogant smirk.

"You're hilarious."

"And you're going down!" Katara said, joining Zuko at his side followed by Jin.

"Okay fine, you want to be Firelord? Let's settle this, just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai." Said Azula.

"You're on!" he agreed.

"What are you doing?" whispered Katara. "She knows she can't defeat us both, so she's trying to separate us!"

"I know. But I think I can take her this time." he said, sounding confident.

"But you said earlier it would take two of us to beat her."

"There's something off about her. I can't really explain it, but she's slipping. And at least his way, no one else has to get hurt." he tried explaining.

"Okay, but just remember, I'm here."

They headed to the central plaza of the palace. The area was completely empty and each step echoed off the surrounding walls. The comet still blazed above them. Zuko and Azula kneeled at opposite ends of the plaza. Zuko knew the comet would give him substantial strength, but his sister would receive the same boost. At this point, he didn't know how this battle would turn out. They both stood up and turned around. Azula removed her Fire Lord robes and threw them to the side.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother."

"You aren't sorry." Zuko said. Azula took her stance and prepared herself before spinning around and shooting a blast of blue flame at Zuko. He quickly jumped forward, raising his hands in front of him, releasing two different waves of fire. The flames came together and shot forward, colliding with the blue flames. She blasted herself forward with a jet of fire and kicked forward, sending another fiery wave towards him. Zuko dodged the flames, but they continued forward, igniting the building behind him. He continued fighting, punching forward and releasing an enormous fire stream. It collided with the blue flames for a moment before either blast flew to the side. He continued pushing out the fire, holding back the continuous stream of blue coming at him. His foot began to slip and he struggled to hold his stance, but he kept a tight grip on the ground.

They seized their attacks for a moment. Azula turned to look at the burning buildings surrounding them. She casted her glare back to Zuko. She kept her hand held forward, breathing heavy. Her expression was fierce, but it also had a hint of fear behind it. She charged forward, propelling herself upward with a stream of fire, which she flung downwards at Zuko. He spun around, thrusting both of his palms forward to create a blast that split the blue flames in half. He then continued to retaliate with a large ball of fire that caught her off guard. Azula landed hard to the ground. She remained crouched, panting heavily. She gritted her teeth together and squinted her eyes before she rocketed herself across the ground, sending two huge fire blasts at Zuko. The blasts flew forward, swirling together to create one huge fireball. He acted fast and placed his fists at the ground, shooting out a blast of fire that shot him into the air away from the approaching fire. He swung his heel down in midair, creating a flame arc that blocked the second blue blast of fire. As he hit the ground, he swung his arms down, sending out a flame that blocked the third blast that came at him.

Zuko crouched to the ground. He was beginning to feel worn out, but he quickly shook off his exhaustion. A swirl of orange and blue circled him. Azula shot herself towards him with two blue blazes gushing out of her feet and a trail of fire following her. He aimed a blast of fire towards her, but she quickly dodged it, continuing towards him at full speed. He surrounded himself with a sphere of fire and sent out a few more blasts towards Azula. She was too quick for him and she managed to dodge all of them. He swept his leg forward at her, creating a ring of fire that flew towards her just as she charged at him. She made a quick effort to block the attack, but she wasn't quick enough. Her own force sent her flying backwards, rolling across the ground. She gasped in pain, clearly taken off guard by the attack. She managed to halfway lift herself up and stood halfway hunched over. Her hair had fallen out of her bun and dangled in front of her face. She glared at Zuko, baring her teeth at him. He could tell that she was losing it.

"What? No lightning? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Katara ran closer to the fight, keeping a distance behind. Jin followed her, not wanting to be standing alone. Zuko pressed out his palm and took a strong stance. He breathed heavily as he anticipated Azula's retaliation.

"Oh, I'll _show_ you lighting!" she screamed.

She began to wave her fingertips around, generating a spark of electricity that traveled up and down her arm and whipped around her. Zuko pointed his fingers forward, ready to receive the bolt. He looked closely into her eyes as she continued to conjure up the strike. He noticed her eyes dart to the left and a small smirk formed on her face. The smirk made him realize exactly what she was going to do. He had to think fast. She moved her arm to the left of Zuko and released the bolt right towards Jin and Katara, who where both standing a ways behind him. The bolt began to split at the ends, forming a V of lighting that was intended to hit both of them He ran as fast as he could to get to the strike so he could redirect it.

"NO!" He dived forward and extended his fingertips, making contact with the lightning. One end of the lightning connected with his fingers, but the other end made contact with his chest. He tried as hard as he could to send the bolt out his other hand, but the current of electricity swirled around inside of him, making it impossible to control what he was doing. He slammed down to the ground and with one last push, he managed to force out the lighting, pointing his fingers to the glowing orange sky. The bolt cracked loudly, illuminating the whole capital. Zuko twitched on the ground as the remaining current surged through his body. He lost all control and began to flail violently. He let out a loud groan and his hands flew to his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the pain. The sounds around him seemed magnified, but at the same time, they were distorted. He let out another groan in agony as he cringed on the hard ground and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Zuko!" Katara and Jin yelled in unison. They both ran forward, but Katara put her hand out, gesturing for Jin to stay. She badly wanted to run over to Zuko, but she knew it was probably in her best interest to stay back. Katara ran towards him, but she was stopped by a bolt of lightning that was shot towards the ground between them. She pulled out a stream of water and bended it around her hands, preparing to heal Zuko as she ran towards him. A wall of blue flame came at her, but she quickly extinguished it with a wave of water. Azula propelled herself on top of a roof and aimed a strike of lighting at Katara. Jin gasped as she saw what was going to happen. She glanced back over at Zuko, who was struggling to pull himself up. She took the opportunity and ran over to where he was crawling. He grunted in pain as he tried to stand.

"Zuko, stay down! You're seriously hurt."

"Azula…she's…I have to…"

"No, no, no, just stay down. You're going to hurt yourself worse." She gently put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him lightly to his back. She looked down at where the lightning had struck him. There was a circle burnt in his clothes where it had hit. There was already a pinkish-red scar forming on his skin. _Another scar, _Jin thought, _he's going to be so upset._ He grimaced in pain again at his slight movement.

"I'm so sorry," she said to him. She brushed his hair out of his eyes. It was matted with sweat and dirt that had been worked up during the battle. He grabbed on to her hand and gripped it tightly as if he was using it to distract himself from the pain. Her fingers smashed together painfully, but she let him hold on.

She glanced back to look at Katara who was being chased down by Azula. They had made their way over a grate, sending strikes of water and fire wildly back and forth. Suddenly, Katara bent a large wave of water from the drain below them, surrounding them with a block of frozen ice. Azula's face looked utterly surprised as she was frozen in a fighting stance. Katara exhaled and the ice around her turned to water. She grabbed a metal chain that was looped around a pillar and wrapped it around Azula's arms and then to the grate. With one quick movement, she unfroze the water and it all fell back into the drain. They both gasped for air as they were freed from the ice. She tightened the chains one more time before running towards Zuko and Jin. She wrapped a glove of water around her hand and kneeled on the other side of Zuko. She pressed it against his chest. Jin watched in amazement as the water spread out over the wound and started to glow blue. She had never watched anything get healed before, since the healing of her arm was internal. Zuko tightened his grip once more before releasing his it. He opened his eyes and looked towards her and then towards Katara.

"Thank you, Katara." He managed to mumble.

"We're the ones who should be thanking you." Tears welled up in her eyes. Jin let go of his hand and reached behind him and helped him sit up. They all looked towards Azula, who was screaming in agony. She struggled and pulled against the chains, trying to free herself. She shot out a wild blast of fire out of her mouth and continued flailing until she landed on her back. She pushed her face into the drain and began sobbing uncontrollably. Katara turned her head, too shocked to look. Jin glanced up at Zuko, who was staring expressionlessly at his sister.

"We should go help the others." Katara said.

"I have to stay here at the capital and handle things. You can take Appa and go find Aang."

"Are you sure? What are you going to do, Jin?"

"I'll stay with Zuko."

"Okay. We'll come back for you guys after this is over." She climbed on Appa flew off in search of the others.

"So now what?" Jin asked him.

"We have to take my sister somewhere."

"Where?"

"For now, I was thinking the basement cells at the palace. I'll decide from there. We'll have to keep her heavily guarded though." They approached Azula, who was still chained up to the grate. Her sobbing had quieted, but it was still apparent that she was crying. Zuko untied the chains from the grate and handed one end to Jin.

"We're going back to the palace." He told Azula. She didn't say a word. She just stood up and started walking. _Has she finally given up?_ Zuko though. _That's so unlike her._ When they got there, they escorted her to the basement and kept her in the smallest cell. Zuko used the chains to tie her arms to the cement wall. She didn't struggle, she just sat down and looked at the floor. Her hair covered up eyes, but there were still visible tears falling down her face.

"You never told me anything about your sister." Jin said quietly to him. "Why is she so bad?" He looked back over at Azula, still sitting calmly.

"I don't know _why_," he started to say. "but she's always been power-hungry and she did anything my father told her to. I'm surprised she isn't lashing out right now. She's just so…calm."

"Hmm." Jin said.

"We need to keep an eye on her though." He cringed for a moment, pushing his arm against his chest. Jin almost forgot about the wound.

"Does it still hurt?" She asked.

"Yeah…kind of."

"You need to get it bandaged until it can be healed again."

"We can't leave her here alone, what if she breaks out?"

"Look at her." Jin whispered. "She doesn't look like she's intent on breaking out."

"Maybe that's what she wants us to think!"

"We'll be quick. You really need that covered or it could get infected."

"Fine." He sighed. He led her to the upstairs of the palace. Jin couldn't help but be amazed. The ceilings were high and everything was finely decorated in deep shades of red and gold. The second story was slightly less luxurious than the main floor, but it was still fancier than anything Jin had seen. He led into a bedroom, which she assumed was his, and went to find some wrap for the wound. The bed was large with a dark red canopy flowing around it. There were two double doors that led onto a balcony that overlooked the palace courtyard. Zuko returned with a roll of cloth wrap. He handed it to her and started to untie his top.

"Can you help me?" He asked. He removed his shirt, completely exposing the wound. It was healed substantially since the battle, but the skin was still raw and red. It would definitely need a few more healing sessions. It had taken three sessions just to heal her broken arm.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere." He groaned. She carefully touched the bandage to the wound and held in place with her fingers. Her fingers grazed over the skin of his back, causing him to shiver. She wrapped it around him several times, going over his shoulder and under his arm and finally tucked it in place.

"There." She said. He tried putting back on his robe top, but he flinched in pain. She grabbed it from his hands and helped him slide each arm in. She started to tie it, but she paused when Zuko quickly turned his head to look at something outside the double doors. There was a burst of blue light jetting into the sky followed by a red light straight across from it. "What is that?" She asked.

"It has to be the Avatar."

"What do you think is going on?"

"We'll find out soon enough."

"I hope he's alright…" she said quietly.

"Me too."

* * *

_AN: Again, sorry that a lot of this chapter is a novelization from the series. Well, now that the war is pretty much over, the story can finally get into post-war territory so I can actually start writing what I want to write. Yippee! So anywho, as I always like to say, thanks for reading! and Don't forget to review. All you gotta do is be like "hey, yo! I read your your chapter. It was awesome/good/sucked/was alright I guess..." __or something like that (but preferably more helpful). I just like to know who's reading. So, hopefully you enjoy this chapter. Check back often for the next update!_

**For those who read the old story: **If you didn't notice, I dropped the idea of Jin being a waterbender. Why? Well, basically that idea doesn't fit with the rest of this story. It's going to make things a lot easier for me to write, and probably a lot easier for you to understand. I know some people might have liked that idea, and some may have questioned it. I think for this story, it's best if she wasn't, and maybe in the future, another story can be written pertaining to that idea. So I thought I would give some explanation to one of the larger plot changes. Again, thank you so much to those loyal readers who endured the other story and gave this new one a chance.


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